In the present electronic era, computerized devices, such as a personal computers, cellular telephones, calculators, gaming systems, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), are ubiquitous in society. Two of the most common means of entering data into these devices are keyboards and pointing devices commonly referred to as “mice.” Keyboards and mice translate a user's hand motions into electronic signals that are readable by computerized devices.
Conventional keyboards include a plurality of keys extending across a generally flat and slightly elevated surface, and the keys are typically marked with a respective character or characters. To use such a conventional keyboard, a user places his or her hands on top of the keys and presses downwardly to select a key. While these keyboards are an effective means of data input, the extended and elevated position of the user's hands requires the user to lock his or her hands and arms in three distinct positions, namely pronation, ulnar deviation, and extension, simultaneously while typing. Since conventional keyboards cause a user's arms and hands to be continuously locked in these three positions during the entire duration of use, conventional keyboards are not ergonomically effective.
A traditional mouse includes a limited number of keys and is designed to be grasped by a user's hand. The mouse transmits key strokes to a computing device in one of two ways. In a first type of conventional mouse, the mouse relays the movements of the mouse itself to the computing device. A second type of mouse includes a trackball, which a user typically operates with his or her thumb. This type of mouse then relays the movements of the trackball to a computing device. While either type of conventional mouse is moveable and much smaller than a conventional keyboard, such a mouse also results in a user's hand being in an elevated and extended position.
To mitigate against the health concerns, there have been many keyboard and mouse designs. For example, some keyboards include a curved upper surface, while other keyboards include wrist supports. Recently, wearable keyboards have been developed to eliminate the strain on a user's wrists and forearms. Wearable keyboards are typically secured to a user's hands, arms, or body, via straps or clips. Consequently, these wearable keyboards require significant effort, and even assistance, to put on and take off. Despite the design efforts, there still remains a need for an ergonomic input device that allows a user to quickly and effectively enter data into a computerized device.